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No. 501,996. `Patented July 25,1893.

Wilhmoo ug4 I STEPHEN HENRY EMMNS llNiTn TATES' STEPHEN H. EMMENS, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

ELECTROLYTIC BATH.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent o. 501,996, dated July 25, 1893. Application filed 'Tune 17, 1889. Serial No. 314.569. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN HENRY EM- MENS, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident of London, England, temporarily residing at Harrison, in the State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electrolytic Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention consists in certain novel combinations of parts in an electrolytic-apparatus, as hercinafter set forth and claimed.

The apparatusis primarily designed for the production of malleable iron by electrolysis from ordinary pig-iron, but it is also suitable for other uses.

The objects of the present inventionare to facilitate separating and removing from the apparatus the impurities which fall from the anodes, and to provide for readily removing any individual anode or cathode without interrupting the operation of the apparatus.

Two sheets of drawings accompany this specification as part thereof. i

Figure l of these drawings represents a top plan 'of an electrolytic apparatus, and Fig. 2 represents a Vertical cross-section on theline 2-2 Fig. 1.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures.

The vat of the apparatus comprises a rectangular iron tank, A, open at the top, and provided with longitudinal side-linings, B, of Wood dipped in melted paraffine. These linings are provided with cavities or receptacles, O, to catch the impurities which drop from the anodes, D; and the space between the sidelinings forms at bottom a receptacle, E, for any powder or fiakes that may fall from the cathodes, F. The side-linings are readily removed and replaced, in emptying the vat and re-assembling the parts; and by removingthe respective side-linings the impurities within their cavities are taken out of the apparatus, and the deposit of powder or fiakes in the re-. ceptacle E, free from admixture with such impurities, is exposed so as to be readily removed for utilization.

Each of the anodes is provided with a clamp, G, held tightly in place by its screw,I-l, which carries a horizontal nut-receiving b0lt,I; and each of these bolts I rests in a notch, J, cutin a positive pole-bar, K. Two of these bars constituting the ,anode supports rest on the upper surfaces of the side-linings B, so as to be insulated from the iron tank and from each other thereby and are bolted at one end to a cross-bar, L, to which the positive pole of the battery or dynamo may be connected in any suitable manner.

The cathodes F are suspended by means of clamp-bolts, M, from notches, N, in a negative pole-bar, O. This pole-bar is supported by two notched blocks, P, of ebonite or other insulating material, fitted to the upper edge of the tank at its respective ends, and is connected in any suitable manner with the negative pole of the battery or dynamo. Owing to the Suspension of the anodes and cathodes as above, any anode or cathode can be detached and lifted out of the apparatus, and replaced by a fresh one, Without inoonvenience, and without inanyway disturbing the remainder; and consequently, the operation may be rendered practically continuous.

In employing the apparatus for the production of malleable iron from cast-iron, the anodes D are preferablyfull-sized pigs of gray iron; the cathodes F are bars of malleable iron having an effective surface one-fourth that of the anodes to which they are respectively opposite; the electrolyte, E', Fig. 2, in which the anodes and cathodes are immersed, is composed at the beginning of a nearly saturated aqueous solution of ammonium-sulphate protected from the oxidizing action of the atmosphere by a floating layer, O', Fig. 2, of paraftine oil or the like; the tension of the current employed should be from three to four volts, and its density should be about onetwentieth of one ampere per square inch of the operative cathode surface.`

The electrolytic operation of the apparatus, and its modification for other processes, will be understood by those skilled in the art without further description.

Theprocess of producing malleable iron from cast-iron above referred to constitutes no part of the present invention, being the subject of my specification and claims forming part of another application for United States Patent, filed June 17, 1889, Serial No. 314,570.

ICC

I claim as my invention and desii'e to patent undei' this specification- 1. In an electrolytic apparatus, the combination with suitable anodes and cathodes and their connectious of a vat having removable side-linings the lower parts of which arepx'ovided with cavities or receptacles for collect-Z ing the impnrities that fall from the anodes.

2. In an electi'olytic apparatus, containing a plurality of anodes and cathodes arranged in parallel lines, the combination with a suitable vat of devices whereby any individual; anode 01' cathode may be i'elnoved fi'om the apparat-us without opening' the electric cir-' cnit, said devices comprising, first, a positive' pole-bar notched at the top, secondly, a screwclamp attached to each anode and i provided with a hoi'izontal nut-receivingbolt occupying a notch of said pole-bar, thirdly, a negative pole-bar notched at the top, and, fourthly, cathodes in the form of bai's provided at their upper ends With hol'izontal elamp-bolts which occupy the notches of said negative pole-bar, substantially as hereinbefoi'e specified.

STEPHEN I-I. EMMENS.

Witnesses:

NEWTON W. EMMENS, SAMUEL B. IIAMBURGER. 

